


Sleeping Beauty

by strei



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, and just the usual stuff i like to write lmao, and pining, be prepared, for angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:15:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26672011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strei/pseuds/strei
Summary: At the cradle of the forest, born of magic and sustained with the bleeding heart of the King of the Valley of the Thorns itself, stood a castle of aged marble and stone. At it's heart, an obsidian dragon with blazing emeralds for eyes curled around a still form, a small human sleeping soundly upon a bed of scales and claws gently pillowing her as they both dreamed of a gentle reunion.
Relationships: Malleus Draconia/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 127





	Sleeping Beauty

“You can't sleep forever.”

A single scaly lid opened the barest fraction to expose a brilliantly glowing emerald eye. He was not a fan of being roused from his slumber. Every moment awake was a moment away from his beloved. The great winged beast exhaled deeply, a sound not unlike that of a weary sigh.

“Language, Malleus.” A slim man with a youthful face frowned at the magnificent creature, his black hair doing little to hide the sharp points of his ears. The elder fae blew a puff of air, brows knitted, and crossed his ankles before plopping down on the marble flooring. “I'd appreciate it if you showed me a minimal amount of respect, I've worked hard for this bit of information, you know?”

Those blazing jade eyes snapped to attention immediately. A lesser man would have been terrified of being the focus of that consuming gaze. Luckily, Lilia was no man. At least, not a human one. 

“Fufufu, I thought that would get your attention,” he said with a wry chuckle that, despite the grin on his face, carried notes of sombre strain. “Do you remember that octopus- Ashengrotto? You went to school together, I believe he was head of Octavinelle.”

The dragon blinked and Lillia took it as an affirmation. 

“Well, he's become somewhat of a powerful wizard in his own right. Egregiously so in the last decade, you might say.” At this last part he leaned in like the village gossip to whisper, “Rumors say he's found a little pearl all for himself- a pretty little human, of all things.”

At this, the great beast straightened slightly, careful as always not to disturb the precious cargo within his talons. He noted the brilliant embers of his teacher's eyes flicker towards that most valuable of his treasures. When their gazes met once more, he did not question the grief mirrored in that face. Lillia, too, had lost something precious. 

“I proposed a union of forces. We both want the same thing- this way we can pool our resources. The merfolk may not live as long as us, but they do have access to knowledge that we don't.”

A soft rumble of distaste reverberated along the floors and caused dust to flutter from the ceiling. 

“Don't be like that Malleus. It's been years since you were rivals for anything- there's no need to be so jealous. As I've told you, he has his own little mortal to worry about now.”

The dragon snorted and a small puff of celadon smoke wafted into the air. 

“Your children miss you. They say their father died with their mother,” Lillia murmured, regretting the way his king flinched almost imperceptibly in pain. 

They're right. 

“Oh, now we're speaking.” The elder fae shook his head. Of course he had- Malleus had always been loose lipped when it came to you. Though he loathed to share you with the world, the horned king had always been keen to mention you no matter the topic of conversation. 

My queen is the fairest of them all. 

My queen is the brightest of all stars. 

My queen puts the sun in the sky to start the dawn and places the moon upon her pedestal at dusk. 

Lillia had known from the start that this was the fate that awaited the young prince he had so lovingly raised. The moment he'd seen the way Malleus's eyes shone upon gazing on your face- not even your face, it had been the back of your neck in a crowded dining hall- he'd known a tragedy lay in the making, waiting to spring. Lillia had only himself to blame. There had been a dozen, no, a hundred opportunities for him to bring the story to a close early. To save his prince and king from the fate of a grief stricken beast who only lived in his sleep. 

It was his own weakness that had allowed this to happen. He had watched his young lord fall in love with you like a glutton at a buffet. Malleus's happiness had been his, and he'd been unable to do what had needed to be done. 

For years, hundreds of years, it had seemed as if fate itself was on your side. The magic of the fae had kept you youthful and strong, unaging beside Malleus. It had been hubris, ultimately, that had destroyed their tenuous peace. They'd thought it safe to leave you to your own devices for a time so they could forge new alliances and repay pay debts that sought closure. They'd mistakenly believed that time and age and death had forgotten your face. 

The flowing magic of a fae dragon was not one to be easily understood. If they'd known, your king never would have left your side for a moment, not that he had been prone to doing so anyways. Lillia would have never urged him to. 

Lillia had doomed his country, his family, and his king. He knew the fault lay with him. 

Malleus only blamed himself. 

He'd raised such a kind-hearted man. 

Without Malleus by your side, you had quickly withered like a bloom in the desert sun. Time and mortality had found you without your beloved to hold them away. As the sun set on your mortal life, you had cupped his cheek and smiled. Cruel to the end, as all humans were wont to be. How could Malleus ever forget you now? A silly thought- a desperate shifting of blame. Malleus would sooner forget his own name than yours. 

Lillia would never forget the way his king had roared. The screaming, the sobbing, the hideous and heartbroken wailing- they continued to ring in his ears even now. 

“She wouldn't want this for you,” he whispered. 

Malleus stayed silent. 

The Valley of Thorns had changed that dreadful day. Magic and tears had flowed like rivers as the great horned king sought to revive you. As he sought to undo the horrors that had been your birthright. There had been no undoing. The regeneration spells had bounced off of you and into the earth, sprouting forests minutes young but millennia old in size. Their leaves never graced the ground, never changed color even as the seasons changed around them. Flowers bloomed no matter the time of day or year. 

Ultimately, they could not rewind the damage that had been done, but they had been able to bring it to a standstill. It had been a sleeping spell the likes of which had only been seen once before, but it had been enough. Your heart still beat a soft rhythm. Your lips parted with your breaths. Your eyelids even fluttered from time to time. 

It gave his king the hope that one day they would open and you would give him that same sweet smile in greeting that you had given in farewell. 

Hope was a cruel thing. 

“What if you are unable to awake her when the time comes?”

The dragon exhaled a sharp stream of green smoke and Lillia almost smiled. It wasn't like Malleus to snort. You had taught him some rather nasty behaviours in the many years you'd spent together. 

“Rather confident you're the 'true love' in 'true love's kiss', aren't you?”

Naturally.

None could doubt the love between his king and queen. He'd had centuries to witness it. Every whispered promise and stolen kiss. Every shy tangle of hands and celebratory sob for the blessing of a healthy new babe. Shaking his head, the elder fae decided it was best to stop the teasing here. His king no longer had the energy for long exchanges, so enraptured with chasing you in his dreams that he had neglected his own health to such extremes. 

“I will let Ashengrotto know that you have agreed to this arrangement,” Lillia said, rising to his feet. It would be a lie to say that the vicious talons of hope had not latched onto his heart as well. He, too, had loved you. Loved you still. “Do not sleep too heavily until I return.”

A soft sound, warmer in tone and with the hint of a solemn farewell, filled the room as the door closed behind him.

The dragon's eyes slid closed, a gentle rumble building in his throat. You'd always been fond of that sound, had always teased him that it was a noise much more befitting a large cat than a fearsome winged monster. With a deep, grumbling sigh, he nestled back in on himself, careful not to jostle the precious weight of your sleeping form. 

Tears formed like diamonds in the corners of his eyes as Malleus settled back into sleep, back into dreams where he could almost hear your sweet voice in his ear again. 

You would be waiting there for him, like always, with that smile that outshone the moon and all the stars in the night sky. He would open his arms and you would run into them. A pained sigh left the slumbering beast. He liked to think you would tell him of all the adventures you'd had while he'd been away and he would whisper the secrets of his heart against your lips. 

Oh, my little queen, I have missed you so. 

A life without you is no life at all. 

⚘ꕥꕥ✾ꕥꕥ⚘ꕥꕥ⚘ꕥꕥ✾ꕥꕥ⚘ꕥꕥ⚘ꕥꕥ✾ꕥꕥ⚘ꕥꕥ⚘ꕥꕥ✾ꕥꕥ⚘

Deep in the valley of thorns thrived a forest of unnatural geometry. There, trees grew tall and upright with trunks the color of ivory and obsidian, laced through with leafy veins of gold. Flowers bloomed through rain and snow. The few creatures that dared lived amongst the enchanted woods seemed touched by a a deep sorcery, a divine and thrumming magic that bid them to become devoted sentries to some silent master. A cursed - though could one truly be cursed if they had asked for the enchantment to better serve their duty?-silver stag wandered through the trees taller than the eye could comprehend. His antlers spread like constellations as he patrolled the whispering ravines and fairy lit brambles. A jade green crocodile kept a watchful eye over the rivers that wound through the forest and fed the fae creatures that lived within it's hallowed boughs. None would disturb their king so long as they lived. 

At the cradle of the forest, born of magic and sustained with the bleeding heart of the King of the Valley of the Thorns itself, stood a castle of aged marble and stone. At it's heart, an obsidian dragon with blazing emeralds for eyes curled around a still form, a small human sleeping soundly upon a bed of scales and claws gently pillowing her as they both dreamed of a gentle reunion.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, hope you enjoyed! I'm not super active here, but if you're interested in reading the bulk of my work, check out my Tumblr @wickedfaerytale


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